Idlewild’s Legacy, Black History Month Celebrated in RCAH-Black Eden Arts Collaboration

February 3, 2025

Black Eden Arts Alliance, with the support of the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) at Michigan State University (MSU), celebrate Black History Month with a pop-up art installation in historic Idlewild, Michigan, at the Flamingo Club on Williams Island, now through the end of February. Featuring the work of artists George Thomas and Lydia Marie Hicks, the installation transforms boarded-up windows with vibrant banners and project films that honor Idlewild’s rich cultural legacy.

The celebration marks the prelude to Hicks and Thomas’ upcoming exhibition at RCAH’s Lookout Gallery, opening August 28 in the space at Snyder-Phillips Hall on MSU’s campus.

“We are so excited about the launch of this exciting art project, and we are looking forward to a sustained and fruitful partnership,” said Dr. Tama Hamilton-Wray, associate professor in RCAH at MSU. In fall 2024, students in Hamilton-Wray’s RCAH 202 Oral Traditions and the Making of History course traveled to Idlewild as part of an oral history project.

In addition to the banners displayed at the Flamingo Club, highlights of the Idlewild show include the projection of several films:

• An animated short set to a classic Louis Armstrong song
• A mermaid film inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois
• Rare dance footage featuring Clifford Fears, who performed in Idlewild as a child. The film, shot at a Martin Luther King Jr. benefit in Switzerland, underscores the global resonance of Idlewild’s artistic spirit.

“This installation is a tribute to Idlewild’s enduring legacy as a sanctuary for Black arts and creativity,” said Hicks, who co-directs the Black Eden Arts Alliance with George Thomas.

“We’re happy to bring these stories to life and invite the community to enjoy the history and future of our home,” Thomas said.

For more information, contact: Lydia Marie Hicks